


how to find a boyfriend in five days

by jagseun



Category: GOT7, K-pop
Genre: Cute, Dating, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Humour, M/M, Side Markjin, but some actual plot later on i swear, jackjae, lowkey crack ngl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-27
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2018-09-02 17:08:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8675695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jagseun/pseuds/jagseun
Summary: Youngjae told his parents he was in a relationship to get them off his back but now they want to meet his nonexistent boyfriend.  He goes on a dating site to find a guy to pose as his boyfriend but he ends up meeting Jackson, who's determined he can find him a real boyfriend in five days.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Who wants multi-chaptered jackjae! I want multi-chaptered jackjae! Who wants a ton of side markjin! I want a ton of side markjin! Who is actually really excited to finally be writing this after thinking about it for the past four months! I am excited to write this!

“ _YesCupid_?  Is Choi Youngjae on a _dating_ site?”

Youngjae slammed his laptop shut, not realizing Jinyoung was right behind him. “Dating site?  No.”

“So you weren’t just browsing for local gay singles in your area?”  Jinyoung raised an eyebrow and Youngjae cursed himself for not realizing he was standing there earlier.

“It’s not what you think.”  Youngjae sighed, realizing he couldn’t get out of this one without an explanation.

Jinyoung walked around the sofa and plopped himself down next to him.  “Oh really?  I was actually excited, my little Youngjae finally getting a boyfriend!”  Jinyoung ripped open the wrapper of a granola bar in his hand and started munching away.

“What are you even doing here?  You don’t actually live here, in case you forgot,” Jinyoung had been a constant presence in his life for almost a year now.  He was his roommate’s boyfriend but recently he had spent so much time in their apartment he practically lived there.  “Wait, is that _my_ granola bar?”

“I’m waiting for Mark to get home, and I just found it this on the top shelf, I didn’t think anyone would mind…”

“So, you act like you live here _and_ you steal our food?”

“Stop trying to change the subject,” Jinyoung shoved the rest of the granola bar in his mouth and tossed the wrapper over his shoulder.  “Why were you on a dating site?”

“Basically, I told my parents that I’d found a boyfriend and we’ve been dating for two months and they were so happy they told me to bring him over next weekend to meet the family…” Youngjae tipped his laptop back open, now that Jinyoung was in on his secret.

“So, you’re trying to find a boyfriend in less than a week?” 

“No, that seems impossible; I was just… looking for someone who’d agree to be my pretend boyfriend for a day?  Maybe?”

“So you’re on a dating site… looking for a _fake_ boyfriend.”  Jinyoung deadpanned.

“Yes… I mean… no?  Wait.”  Youngjae hated the way Jinyoung talked to him that made him question his own intentions.  “When you say it like that it sounds like a ridiculous plan.”

“Youngjae, if you really just need a fake boyfriend you could just ask me, I’d be happy to lend you a hand.  I’m pretty sure Mark would help you out too.” 

Now Youngjae felt stupid.  Why was his first instinct to go to a dating site anyways?

“Unless… this was your first plan of action because you really _do_ want to find a boyfriend.”  Jinyoung was giving him that knowing smile he gave him when he knew he was right.

Youngjae’s motives had been completely innocent, but now that he was thinking about it Jinyoung may have been right.  He didn’t want to admit it himself, but maybe he was really hoping to find an actual boyfriend. 

“I’m right, aren’t I?” Jinyoung nudged him with his elbow repeatedly, smiling ear the ear.

“I don’t know… I mean… maybe?”

“Oh my gosh!  Say no more!”  Jinyoung pulled the laptop out of his hands.  “I’ll help you find a cute guy worthy of my cutest son!”

Youngjae groaned, this is exactly what he hoped _wouldn’t_ happen.  “I really don’t need your help—“

“So, what’s your type?” Jinyoung asked with pure excitement on his face.

“I don’t really have a type.”  Youngjae answered honestly.

“Okay, what about… this guy!”  Jinyoung pulled up a profile and shoved the laptop in his face.

“No.”

“This guy?”

“No.”

“This guy?”

“No.”

“This guy?”

“….No.”

“Hey!  You hesitated!”  Jinyoung set the laptop back on his lap clicked open the guy’s full profile. “Ohh, so _this_ is your type Youngjae.  I wouldn’t have expected you to be drawn to muscular guys.”

Youngjae never thought of himself really having a type, but staring at the picture of a guy in a tank top he realized he was a complete sucker for guys like this. 

“He’s really trying hard in this photograph, look at how obviously he’s flexing!”  Jinyoung laughed as he scrolled through his profile.  “His name is Jackson?  Is he a foreigner…?”

“I said no, not him.”  Youngjae persisted.

“No?  You find him attractive, though, right?”

“He’s my type but you know; he’s not _my type_.”

“What, you think he’s too hot for you?”

It would be a stretch for Youngjae to even describe his looks as average in his own opinion. Not only was the guy attractive, but he looked like he walked straight out of a men’s health magazine.  “Pretty much.”

“Choi Youngjae! I didn’t raise you to have such low confidence.”

“For the fiftieth time, you’re _not_ my mom.”

Jinyoung picked up the laptop and started walking away. 

“Hey, what are you doing?”  Youngjae eyed him with distrust.

“Oh, nothing.”  Jinyoung set the laptop down on the kitchen counter and started typing away.

“Nothing?  You’re typing something.”  Youngjae got up and walked towards him.

“I’m just… sending this guy a message.” 

“WHAT?”  Youngjae went to fight but Jinyoung held him back with one hand.

“Go big or go home!”  Jinyoung said as Youngjae glanced at the computer screen.

_Ars333: hey there. ;)_

“Why on Earth would you send a winky face?  What if he thinks I have the wrong intentions?!”  Youngjae whined.  “This is so embarrassing, now I have to create a new profile and everything…”

“Calm down, look, it says he’s typing back.”  Jinyoung stared in excitement and Youngjae stared in horror.

_Wang852:  haha, hey to you too._

“Look, he’s a nice guy.  Perfectly approachable,” Jinyoung said but Youngjae still felt his stomach doing somersaults.   “What should I say…?  Wait, he’s typing again.”

_Wang852: I like your profile picture_

“Your profile picture?”  Jinyoung clicked on Youngjae’s profile and opened it in a new tab and was immediately disappointed. “Really Youngjae, you’re using a picture of your dog as your profile picture?”

“I didn’t think anyone would reply to me if I used an actual picture of myself.”  Youngjae answered honestly.

“Youngjae… no.”  Jinyoung sighed.  “Where are all those selfies you take daily?”

“I usually stare at them until I decide their all ugly then delete them all.”

“How are you going to find a guy with a _dog_ as your profile picture?”

“Well, this guy seems to like the dog…” 

_Wang852: you there?_

Jinyoung handed Youngjae the laptop.  “You better think of something to say while you’ve got the hot guy who likes dogs online.”

Youngjae thought for a moment.  He didn’t even know why he was doing this.

_Ars333: yes, thanks.  that’s my dog. :)_

_Wang852:  I thought so!  What’s their name?_

_Ars333: Her name is Coco, she’s a maltese._

“I can’t believe you’re having a conversation about dogs right now.”  Jinyoung said as he stared at the chat window is disbelief.

_Wang852: she’s sooo cute!  I wonder if the owner is just as cute? ;)_

“Wait, was that a winky face?  What are his intentions?”  Youngjae turned to Jinyoung for advice.

“Wow!  He’s actually trying to flirt with you, this is unexpected.  I wonder if he’s desperate or he’s just really into dogs.”

“What do I say?!”

“Well, now you have to send him a picture of yourself,” Jinyoung said as he picked up Youngjae’s phone.  “Let me take a picture.”

“What?  _No._ That’s going to end any chance I have with him.”

“What are you talking about?  You’re cute, once he sees a picture I’m sure he’ll be all over you.”  Jinyoung held up his phone but Youngjae snatched it out of his hands.

“Ugh,” Youngjae flipped his phone and turned on the front camera.  “If I’m going to send a picture it’s going to be a selfie, I look best from those angles.”

“Suit yourself.”  Jinyoung watched Youngjae slide into his usual selfie pose.  “Why are you shaking your hand like that?”

“The picture is better if it’s a little blurry, right?” 

Jinyoung decided not to question it.

“Okay, I took like 20, now to see if they’re- oh how unfortunate.  All ugly!  Well, I guess I can’t-“Jinyoung pulled the phone out of his hands.

“These are literally all adorable, I’m sending one.”  Jinyoung announced uploading the picture to the website before Youngjae could even complain.

_Ars333: [image]_

_Ars333: this is me! ;)_

“No! No… this is it.  The conversation is over.”  Youngjae sank down onto the couch.  “You had to send the winky face _again_.”

A few moments passed by before the little typing symbol popped up again.  Youngjae was scared to even check the new message, probably some sort of rejection.  At least he was kind enough to turn him down instead of just leaving him hanging.

_Wang852:  wow, you think I would’ve noticed someone this cute in the area before. ;)  are you free tomorrow?_

Youngjae was stunned silent, staring at his computer screen incredulously.

“Well would you look at that,” Jinyoung came and wrapped his arm around him while giving him a huge smile.

“You just scored yourself a date.”

* * *

 

_It’s just a date.  Just a date.  Choi Youngjae, you’re brave, you’re confident, you’re cute, and you can do this._

Youngjae set his head down on the cold table in front of him, trying to wrap his mind around the fact that he was waiting for _Jackson Wang,_ who had amazingly agreed to meet him for coffee despite him being way out of his league.

Every time the door opened Youngjae felt his heart beating straight out of his chest, contemplating whether he should duck under the table or make a run for it.

He almost knocked over the napkin holder in front of him when he heard someone call his name, then realizing it was just the barista calling his name to get his drink.

Youngjae got up and went to the counter only to have his drink snatched right before he could grab it himself.

“Ah, hot chocolate for Youngjae was it?  Choi Youngjae?” 

Youngjae turned and was met by forehead.  _Huh._ He lowered his gaze a bit and gulped.  Jackson Wang.  _He didn’t expect him to be shorter._   Youngjae was frozen, unsure how to react.  _What were words and how did they form sentences again…?_

“Hello?  Earth to Youngjae?”  Jackson picked up his hand and gently placed his drink in it.  “I believe you’re my date.”

“Oh,”   Youngjae could already feel himself perspiring through his clothes.   “Jackson Wang?”

“That’s my name!  Don’t wear it out.”  Jackson gave him a wink and Youngjae was still in awe a man so beautiful could even exist.  He turned to the front and called over the barista.  “Can I get a large green tea?”

Jackson and Youngjae waited for his drink in awkward silence and then headed back to Youngjae’s table where it was even more uncomfortable.

“So… I’m guessing you don’t go on many dates?”  Jackson took the lid off his tea and blew the top to cool it down.

 _Great, was it that obvious_? “Sorry, I’m not good with strangers.”  Youngjae was just about ready to leave.  Jackson was still smiling but he was sure that inside he was probably wondering what was wrong with him.

“That’s alright; I’ve often been told talking a lot is one of my greatest talents!”  Jackson gestured with his arms so dramatically as he spoke Youngjae felt the need to dodge out of the way because he was afraid his arms were going to hit him.  “What made you want to try online dating?”

“I- uh.”  Youngjae stumbled over his words and Jackson frowned.

“Hey, are you okay?  Am I making you uncomfortable?”

“No!   I just…”  Youngjae sighed.  “This was a mistake.”  Youngjae got up to leave but Jackson grabbed his arm.

“Where are you going?!”  Jackson looked concerned.  “Did I do something wrong?”

“No!  This is my fault.  I’m not here for the right reasons.”  Youngjae tried to make him let go but his grasp was so firm he couldn’t even move his arm.

“Can you at least tell me what’s wrong?  I won’t be able to stop thinking about it otherwise.”  Jackson looked so sincere Youngjae couldn’t decline.

Youngjae sat back down and sighed.  “It’s not you, I just signed up for online dating because I told my parents that I’m dating someone and they asked to meet him next weekend-“

“So you’re trying to find a boyfriend in five days?” 

“I mean technically not-mpfghh!“  Youngjae was silenced by Jackson’s finger on his lips.

“Say no more, I think I can help you.”

“I-huh?”

“I, Jackson Wang, believe I can find you a boyfriend in five days.”

That was probably the last thing he would’ve expected Jackson to say.  “You want to find me a boyfriend?”

“See, I’m a nice guy, _great_ with relationships-“

“But you were on a dating site?”

Jackson gave him a disapproving look.  “I’m single at the moment but I’ve been in tons of relationships-”

“And they all ended?”

“Listen, that’s not the point,” He tried desperately to change the subject.  “I’m very graciously offering my help to someone in need; you can either accept my help or leave.”

“Why do you think I need your help?”

“Well, _obviously,_ there are places you’re lacking.”

Youngjae was taken aback.  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’m not saying you don’t have potential.  You’re cute and all but your personality needs some work from what I’ve observed and let’s be real, you can’t reach my level of coolness overnight.” 

The more time Youngjae spent with this guy the more he disliked him.  “You want me to be more like you?”

“In a sense, you obviously will never reach my level,” _Conceited jerk_. “But I think I can at least help you to the point where you can actually talk to your dates instead of struggling like a fish out of water.”

Youngjae had every right to get up and leave, but he couldn’t help but be intrigued by the offer.  “Why do you even want to help me?  I can’t offer you money or anything.”

“Can’t a guy help another guy out of the kindness of his heart?” 

“That’s not usually how it works.”  Youngjae answered, brutally honest.

“Please?  Trust me, I’ll find you a super cute boyfriend!  My services have a 0% failure rate!”  Jackson put his hands together and pleaded with him.

“Do you offer these services regularly?”

“Well… I guess officially you’re going to be my first client,” Youngjae rolled his eyes.  “You have to trust me!  How about a cute boyfriend in less than 24 hours then?  My guarantee, or heading back to the dating site and messaging strangers who you don’t know could be creeps, criminals, murderers…”

“Alright!”  Youngjae was mostly doing this just the get him to stop talking.  “You think you can find me a boyfriend by tomorrow?”

“Yes!  I know a guy, super cute, perfect for you!  Don’t you worry! Do you know the amusement park down the street?  Meet me at the front gate tomorrow at noon and I’ll set you up on the best date of your life.”

“This sounds dangerous…”

“Youngjae, if I was a murderer I’d call you to a back alley, not an amusement park,” Jackson held out his pinky finger to him.  “I just want to help you, trust me.”

He had no reason not to believe Jackson wasn’t a genuine guy.  He was still uneasy on being set up on blind dates, but the thought of having to go back onto the dating site was even more frightening. 

He interlocked pinkies with Jackson.

“Alright, this better work out.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

“That’s him, right over there.”  Jackson had one hand on Youngjae’s shoulder and the other pointed to a man standing right inside the amusement park entrance.

“Him?”  He wasn’t bad looking, rather attractive actually.  “That tall guy?”

“That’s him, I’m certain he’s perfect for you!” 

Youngjae had his doubts, he almost didn’t even bother coming, but he managed to get out of bed on the off chance that maybe there was more to this deal than meets the eye.  Sure enough, when he showed up to the amusement park Jackson was there waiting for him, ready to shove him headfirst into the dating pool. “You hardly know anything about me.” 

“True, but know this guy and he’s really innocent and pure, he reminded me of you.  I’m sure you’ll hit it off!  Plus, you know what they say about tall guys, right?”

“What _do_ they say about tall guys?”

“They’re great at getting things off the top shelf!”  Jackson spun Youngjae around and pushed him in the direction of the entrance.  “Now go introduce yourself!”

Youngjae took a deep breath and walked himself towards the entrance, only to notice Jackson following behind him.  “Are you… coming with me?”  Surely he wasn’t planning on going on a date _with_ them.

“No!  Well, not technically, I’ll be around but I won’t be interfering with your date.”

“So, you’re going to be spying on me?”  Youngjae was suddenly worried about this guy’s intentions again.

“It’s nothing weird, I swear!” Jackson acted as if it were normal but Youngjae thought it was ridiculous and kind of creepy.  “Don’t look at me like that; it’s going to be fine!” 

 “I don’t know about this…”

“Just pretend you didn’t even hear that!  You’re going on a date, act natural, be confident, and pretend I’m not there.”  Jackson pulled him in for a hug and Youngjae was flustered by the sudden close-contact.  This guy wasn’t shy about physical contact despite only knowing Youngjae for one day.  “Go out there and make me proud!”

Jackson launched Youngjae off again and this time Youngjae was determined to make this guy his, strutting towards him overflowing with confidence, just like Jackson told him to do.

The closer he got the more real the situation became, and as soon as Youngjae was standing next to him he looked up and felt all his confidence fade away.  He wanted to leave but when he turned back he saw Jackson half hiding behind a pillar waving his hand rapidly telling him to move forward.

Youngjae took a deep breath before tapping the guy on the shoulder, getting his attention.  The man instantly turned around and smiled when he saw him.  “Hey!  You’re Choi Youngjae, right?  My date?”

Seems like Jackson had briefed the other about him.  “Yes, that’s me.”

“Nice to meet you!  I’m Kim Yugyeom.”  Yugyeom held out his hand and Youngjae accepted the firm handshake.  “I’m really excited; I haven’t been to Everland in _ages_.”

Overall he looked like he was more enthusiastic about being at an amusement park rather than going on a date with him but Youngjae didn’t mind, he thought it was rather cute.

Yugyeom pulled him around looking at attraction after attraction.  They were both excited by the same things, enjoying animal displays, arcade games, even attractions like bumper cars and boat rides.  They were both having such a great time, until Yugyeom pointed up into the sky and said, “We should go on that!”

The thing he was pointing at, a huge roller coaster located in the middle of the park.  “The r-roller coaster?”

“Of course!  You can’t come here without riding the T-express, right?”  Yugyeom was excitedly bouncing up and down.

Youngjae stared up at the rickety wooden coaster in front of him and gulped.  He did not ride roller coasters, not even small ones.  This was possibly the largest roller coaster he had ever seen.  He wanted to say no, but Yugyeom looked so excited and he didn’t want to ruin the date, it was going so well.

“Ah, but the lineup is so long!  We need to get in line if we even want to ride it today!”  Yugyeom tugged his arm and Youngjae gave in, getting in line and trying to ignore the feeling of his stomach dropping.

Every minute that went by Youngjae considered just escaping while he still could.  Yugyeom looked so excited, he knew it would be awful just to abandon him and let him go alone after he was so excited, but there was really no way he could do this. 

_No._

He had to do it. 

He felt his phone buzz, the screen lit up with a text message.

_Jackson:  You look like you’re going to be sick, is something wrong?  You were having fun this whole time._

Youngjae titled his screen away from Yugyeom before he replied.

_Youngjae:  I’m not a fan of roller coasters, but it would be bad if I said no, right?_

_Jackson:  Oh, yeah, that would be awful!_

That’s not what Youngjae wanted to hear.

_Jackson: It’ll be over in no time!  Just don’t ruin the date, I promise you’ll be fine._

Youngjae didn’t even bother replying.  He had no reason to think Jackson would sympathize with him, but he was still disappointed by his disinterest. 

Now that Youngjae thought about it, Jackson seemed like he was more interested in a successful date than actually helping him out.  _Strange._

Ten minutes had gone by the crowd of people was so thick there was no turning back.  He was really going to do this. 

Would Yugyeom dump him after?  He was probably either going to pass out or vomit all over him.

Twenty minutes later, it started raining and Youngjae was in full panic mode.  Not only would he have to ride a roller coaster, he would have to ride it in the _rain_.  The tracks were going to be slick, would the brakes even work?  Was the wood going to rot and break?  All the worst-case scenarios were running through his mind and they stepped closer and closer to the front of the line.

“Wow, rain!  Now the roller coaster is going to be almost like a water slide!  Fun!”  Yugyeom said and he pumped his arms in the air excitedly.

Youngjae looked up at him and smiled nervously, trying to hide the fact that he wanted to evaporate.

Thirty minutes later they were finally almost at the front, they would be put on during the next passenger changeover and Yugyeom was trying to hype him up.

The rain was falling even harder, the rain drops pelting the shelter they were standing under making loud noises.  This was crazy, insane.  There was no way he could go through with this. 

Just when he was about to make a run for it, the ride operator got a call and turned to the crowd to make an announcement.

“It seems as though the rain is too heavy and we will have to stop operations until it clears up for your safety.  We apologize for any inconvenience!”  The crowd echoes with “aw’s” and “boos” but Youngjae had to stop himself from letting his relief be too obvious.  Yugyeom was distraught next to him.

“No way!  I can’t believe we waited so long and they closed the ride!  The day is ruined!”  Yugyeom pouted as they walked out from the ride.  Yugyeom pulled out an umbrella from his bag, thankfully, and covered them.  

“Don’t worry,” Youngjae smiled up at him and patted him on the shoulder. Yugyeom was looking around suspiciously.  “It’s raining but I’m sure we can still have fun, they have indoor attractions and-“ 

“Actually, I need to go,” Yugyeom suddenly said.  “Now.” 

Youngjae was still smiling; pretty sure he had just misheard him.  “Go? What do you mean, we-“

“Bye!”  With that, Yugyeom literally ran off, leaving Youngjae alone in the downpour.

Youngjae stood there getting soaked by the rain for a moment, completely dumbfounded by what had just happened.

Then he audibly, alone, in the rain yelled. “WHAT?”

Common sense finally kicked in and he looked for cover, running underneath some sort of tree structure, pressed up against other people who were avoiding the rain.  He was still in shock, trying to figure out _what_ just happened.

He was so sure they were having a good time.  It was okay if he wanted to leave but so suddenly?  They hadn’t even exchanged numbers or anything! 

_Jackson: Where are you?!  I went to the washroom for one second and I come out and suddenly it’s pouring rain and you guys are gone?!_

Youngjae stared down at his phone.  He had almost forgotten Jackson was supposed to be watching out for him.

_Youngjae:  I’m under the tree thing, Yugyeom left._

_Jackson: WHAT?_

It didn’t take long for Jackson the burst onto the scene, soaking wet and squishing himself against Youngjae’s side so he wasn’t getting soaked.  “Yugyeom left, to go where?  Please don’t tell me he went home.”

Youngjae sighed, feeling dejected.  “I’m pretty sure he left for good.  It was so sudden too, no explanation, he just-“

“That BRAT!”  Jackson yelled so loudly everyone hiding from the rain turned and looked at him.  “I knew he couldn’t be trusted, those innocent eyes were a lie!”

Youngjae tried to speak but Jackson kept muttering angrily.

“I leave for one moment and he just runs!  I even paid for his entrance fee!  I doubt he’s going to pick up my calls.  He promised he would pay me back for that and my services…”

“Pay you for your what?” Youngjae asked and Jackson realized he had said something he shouldn’t, if not obvious by the way he covered his mouth with his hands.

“What?  Nothing.”  Jackson lied.

Youngjae wasn’t going to let it slide that easily.  “I’m not stupid; you can tell me the truth.”  He knew this whole thing was too good to be true.

“You won’t get upset?”  Jackson looked like he was genuinely sorry and it made Youngjae feel bad for talking to rudely to him.  It wasn’t like him at all.

“It’s fine, I didn’t think much of this whole situation anyways.”

“This wasn’t supposed to happen.  Basically, I get people to pay me to set them up, but I really just use dating sites to try and match people.  I’m no matchmaker, people seem to trust me more than a website, that how I can get people to buy into it.”

“That’s… creative, to say the least.  You didn’t ask me for money, though?”

“I felt kind of sorry for your situation and you looked desperate so I decided to help you for free out of the kindness of my heart, honestly.”  Jackson stared at him apologetically.  “It wasn’t supposed to turn out like this, but I swear that kid played me!  He made sure I wasn’t around and he bolted!  I was scammed!” 

“I really thought we had a fun time, it isn’t your fault,” Youngjae admitted.  “It must be me.”

“Don’t say that!  That kid just wanted a free pass into the amusement park!  This has nothing to do with you!” Jackson tried to convince Youngjae.

“Maybe he could tell I really didn’t want to ride the T-express and he decided I wasn’t his type?”  Youngjae pondered aloud but Jackson was just smiling at him.  “What’s so funny?”

“What was the roller coaster again?”

“Huh?  The T-express?”

This time Jackson couldn’t stop the giggles.  “I’m sorry, but I’m pretty sure it’s the T-express, not the T- _espresso_.”

It took a moment for Youngjae to realize what Jackson was getting at, then he retaliated by whacking him hard across the arm.

“Ow!  Did you just hit me?!  Do you usually hit people you’ve only known for less than a day!?”

“Not usually, but I guess you’re a special case.”  Youngjae couldn’t help but grin at Jackson looking shocked; his expression so drawn out it was comical.

“Whatever, at least you’re feeling better.  I’m not about being responsible for ruining dates.”  Jackson pulled out his phone and looked at the time.  “Is it going to stop raining anytime soon?  I know this is supposed to be a fun place but I can’t stay here forever.”

Youngjae pulled out his phone and was greeted by a ‘severe thunderstorm warning’ alert.  That was never a good sign.  “I think you should just go through the heavy rain before the thunder and lightning starts.  It’s not going to clear up until tonight.”

“No way!  I’m going to be soaked, and I don’t even live nearby.  I have to wait it out.”  Jackson huffed and Youngjae decided he was feeling generous.

“I don’t live that far away, I think it’s best if I just run home and brave the water for some minutes.  I mean if you want, you can wait there for the thunderstorm to pass.” 

“Now I’m wondering why you’re being so nice.”

“Well, it’s obvious you’re kind of _desperate_ , I feel bad for you, honestly,” Youngjae repeated his words from earlier with a cheeky smile and Jackson couldn’t help but laugh.  “Follow me!”  Youngjae bolted and Jackson followed behind, getting soaked in minutes but not caring.  There wasn’t anything they could do about it.

* * *

 

They both ended up at Youngjae’s apartment fifteen minutes later, drenched and cold.  “Wait out here for a second.”  Youngjae opened the door and took a good look around and was thankful his prayers had been answered.  No sign of Mark or Jinyoung.  He didn’t want to explain why he was bringing a wet stranger into their apartment.  “Alright, you can come in.”

As soon as Jackson walked in he was drawn to the pile of fluff lounging around the living room.  “Is that your dog?”

“Yeah, that’s Coco- hey wait!”  Jackson was approaching her but Youngjae yelled at him.  “Stop!  You’re not allowed to pet her until you’re dry.”

Jackson pouted a bit but he understood.  “Do you have a shower?”

“Last door down the hall.”

“Yes, warm water I’m coming!”  Jackson didn’t wait for Youngjae to say anything else before he was sprinting down the hall in search of an end to this chilly hell.

Youngjae wasn’t bothered by it.  He towel dried himself and shrugged on a dry set of clothes, deciding and he was fine for now and would shower properly later.

“Coco, you don’t think Jackson is dangerous, right?”  Youngjae asked his dog like he usually did when nobody was around. 

Coco just stared at him.

“You’re right; I don’t think he’s a bad guy either.  Huh, why are you barking?”  Coco suddenly tried to alert her owner something was amiss but it was just a second too late.

“Hey,” Jackson had his hands on his shoulders and pushed him into the sofa as he climbed partially on top of him.  “I just used a towel that was in the bathroom, hope that’s okay.”  Jackson was smirking and Youngjae was wondering what exactly was going on until he noticed Jackson’s state of undress.

The only thing he was wearing was a towel that hung low on his hips, exposing his v-line.  Youngjae’s eyes wandered up, taking in the abs and biceps of his upper half, still droplets of water running down his body.  That’s when Youngjae turned completely red, realizing exactly what Jackson was doing.  “Get off me!  I’ll get you clothes!”

“Hmm, I’ve never seen someone in such a hurry to get me dressed.”  Jackson leaned his body down lower onto Youngjae and giggled at how flushed Youngjae was getting.  “You’re too cute, sorry.  I couldn’t help but tease you.”

Youngjae’s heart was beating through his chest.  If Jackson didn’t get off him he was seriously worried that-

“I’m home!  Youngjae, are you back already? “Jinyoung stopped as soon as he saw the scene in front of him, barely managing to keep a steady hold on the bag of groceries he was carrying.

Youngjae could only imagine what the scene looked like, and he was mortified.  “Wait!  This isn’t what it looks like!  I just-“

“Wow!  Okay!”  Jinyoung set the groceries down on the counter quickly.  “Can I get you anything?  Some snacks?  A condom?  Let me know!”  Jinyoung sent him a wink and fled to a different room.

Youngjae was now positive that bringing Jackson there was the worst decision he had ever made.


	3. Chapter 3

After Jinyoung had left the room Youngjae got Jackson off of him and put him into him into his clothes.  Almost everything in Youngjae’s wardrobe was oversized so they fit nicely on Jackson.  In fact, his clothes looked really good on Jackson.  Too good.

“So, you aren’t dating each other?”  Youngjae had pulled Jinyoung back out to explain the situation, not letting him have any false pretenses.

“We’re not; he’s just a scam artist.”  Youngjae said while smiling sweetly.

“Scam artist?  You mean matchmaker, and let’s not forget I agreed to help you out for free.  You should be thankful.”  Jackson scoffed, not actually angry, more in a playful way.

“Maybe I’d be thankful if you actually matched me up with someone who was looking for a date and not a free pass into Everland.” 

Jinyoung looked at them confused but decided to let them bicker it out on their own time. “So, when I walked in you were just…”

“That was _his_ fault!”  Youngjae pointed at Jackson.

“I was just teasing you, relax,” Jackson scooted closed to Youngjae and pushed down the arm that was pointing at him.  “Besides, you looked like you were enjoying it.  You didn’t try to push me away for a while.”

Jinyoung had hold back his giggles.  They looked too funny arguing over nothing.  “You’re still willing to find Youngjae, a real boyfriend, right?” 

“Of course, I don’t go back on my word.  There’s still four days before the family thing, right?” 

“After today I don’t think I trust you anymore.”  Youngjae had his arms crossed; ignoring the way Jackson was leaning against him.

“Don’t worry; I won’t set you up with any more brats.  I’ll screen harder this time.  Jackson Wang doesn’t leave a job unfinished.”  Jackson said proudly. 

“Four days?  I’d like to see you accomplish that.”  Jinyoung said, intrigued.

“Then it’s settled, I’ll find you another date for tomorrow.  This time, he’s going to be the one.”  Jackson said and Youngjae found it had to refuse now that even Jinyoung seemed to want this to continue.

“This is so exciting!  Like a movie!”  Jinyoung said.

“Why are you even here?”  Youngjae asked.  He’s not sure why he even bothered anymore, it seems like he asked this every time he was there.

“You guys ran out of milk to I just stepped out to buy some groceries and then I came back-“

“No I meant, why are you _here,_ in our house? Why are you buying groceries for us?! You don’t live here!”

“Can’t I buy you guy’s groceries out of the kindness of my heart?”  Jinyoung asked, offended.

“I’m sorry, what’s your relationship?”  Jackson asked, completely baffled by their exchange.

“He’s my roommate’s boyfriend-“

“He’s my son. “

Youngjae covered his face with his hands and Jackson decided he wasn’t going to ask any more questions.  “You know what, I think my clothes are dry enough, I’ll leave,” Jackson got up and looked for the laundry room.  “I’ll text you later Youngjae, leaving now!”

* * *

 

“Is this real leather?”  Youngjae was holding the jacket Jackson just handed to him, feeling the material.

“Yeah, it’s one of my favourites, so be careful with it,” Jackson helped Youngjae put it on.  “Hmm, it’s kind of big, but you still look good.”

“I don’t get why I need to wear this…”

“The constant sweater paws thing you’ve got going on is cute, but I think you need to ramp up the _coolness_ just a bit more.  This helps… a little.”  Jackson pulled at the jacket trying to let it lay in the best position.

Youngjae didn’t think what he wore really mattered, but if Jackson thought it would make a difference he decided it was worth a shot. 

Jackson had told him to meet him the very next day at a movie theatre for another date, since he had already found another guy for him, assuring him that _this time_ he was going to be the one.

“Walk for me.”  Jackson ordered suddenly.

“What?”

“Just walk over there…”

Youngjae was confused but he obeyed, walking normally to the right.

“See, no!  That’s all wrong.”  Jackson walked over and tugged Youngjae back.  “That’s not how you walk with a jacket like that.” 

“I just walked normally.”

“That’s the problem, you have to walk with a bit of _swag_ ,” Jackson strutted a few steps forward and back, trying much too hard to look cool.  “See, something like that.”

Youngjae had to hold back laughter; it was almost funny watching him.  “I… see.”

“Now, you try!”  Jackson motioned for Youngjae to walk forward. 

Youngjae tried his best to mimic what Jackson had done but he got stopped not even half way through. 

“You know what, never mind the walking,” The look on Jackson’s face made it obvious he was a lost cause.  “No matter what you do it’s not going to look right… just stick to normal walking.  Let the jacket do the work.”

Youngjae was alright with that conclusion. “I hope you finally found me someone who’s not a brat.”  Youngjae asked while Jackson was sending messages on his phone.

“Don’t worry!  This guy is the complete opposite of a brat!  He’s a bit older, but I think he’s rich…”

“I’m looking for a boyfriend, not a _sugar daddy_.”

“He’s not that old!  He’s 28.”

“That’s old!”

“He’s not that old, you’re both adults, relax.  He’s really handsome and I showed him your picture and he thought you were super cute.  I think it’ll work out, just trust me.”

That seemed to be Jackson’s favourite phrase, _trust me_.  It was hard to earn someone’s trust when you haven’t done anything right yet.  It was just a movie, not anything overly intimate.  He should be fine.

“Ah, I see him!  The one with the brown hair!”  Youngjae looked over and _damn_ , Jackson was right, he was handsome.

“Are you sure he’s interested in me?!” 

“Yes!  I already bought you guy’s tickets for the most romantic movie showing, all you need to do is make a good impression.  Now get over there!” 

The man smiled at him as soon as he walked up, giving off the vibes of a handsome older man.  “Youngjae, I’ve been waiting for you.”

“H-hi.”  Youngjae stuttered, still captivated by him.

“I’m Nichkhun, I believe we have a movie to catch,” He pulled out his wallet.  “Did you want anything, popcorn?  I’ll buy.”

 Youngjae was having a hard time focusing on his words; too busy staring at his face.  He didn’t even catch his name but he was too embarrassed to ask him again.  “Uh, sure, popcorn is good.”

He wasn’t expecting him to take Youngjae by the hand ever so softly and pull him gently over to the concession stand.  Youngjae’s heart wanted to leap out of his chest from the physical content.  He seemed like such a gentleman, Youngjae was still wondering if this was really the right guy.

When they both got settled in their seats in front of the big screen Youngjae got a message from Jackson.

_Jackson:  I’m sitting a couple of rows behind you, so no funny business!_

Youngjae laughed at the assumption.

_Youngjae:  You don’t need to worry about that._

_Jackson:  Are you sure?  You’ve been giving him those major heart eyes all night._

Was it really that obvious?

_Youngjae:  Turn off your phone Jackson; you can’t use that in here._

Youngjae followed his own advice and turned off his phone after sending the message.

“Have you read the reviews for this movie?  I heard it’s pretty intense.”  His date asked him.

Honestly, Youngjae had no idea what movie they were seeing.  He just knew it was supposed to be romantic according to Jackson.  “I haven’t, actually.”

Youngjae expecting a romantic comedy, not a romantic _thriller_.  It wasn’t scary in the sense that there were jump-scares everywhere, but more so in a murder mystery way.  Two lovers trapped in a relationship cursed.  They wanted to be together but people kept dying, Youngjae had a hard time following the plot.  It wasn’t really his type of movie.

His date seemed to be into it, downing his popcorn in the first ten minutes and his eyes were constantly glued to the screen. 

Youngjae was thankful when the ominous music stopped for a moment and the couple finally had a moment to themselves.  That was until the scene suddenly got steamy.  These kinds of scenes embarrassed Youngjae to no end, would it be weird if he covered his face?  He smiled awkwardly as he felt his date’s eyes on him, unsure what he was trying to convey in the darkness.

That’s when he felt a hand on his knee.

He didn’t need to look down knowing that it was his date’s hand.  Youngjae assumed this was normal on a date, but a first date?  During a really hot scene?  Youngjae was sweating.

Youngjae was panicking again, he kept telling himself to calm down.  _It’s just a hand on the knee, no reason to- holy shit._ His hand started sliding slightly further up his knee and Youngjae almost jumped out of his seat he was so shocked.

Youngjae did not appreciate his advances, not _at all_.  He didn’t know how to move, his hand was still there so close to where it shouldn’t be.  The scene was still playing on the screen.  I can’t just-

“Hey!  Excuse me, you need to leave!”  Some sort of commotion was happening behind them Youngjae tried to look up but he couldn’t see anything in the darkness.  Luckily that distracted his date enough to loosen his firm grip on his leg and let go.  Youngjae wasn’t going to squander this opportunity.

“I need to use the washroom!  Excuse me!”  Youngjae leaped out of his seat before his date could even respond, clutching his extra-large bag of popcorn to his chest.

Youngjae was _not_ going back in there.

He stared down at the bag of popcorn and realized he probably shouldn’t have kept this if he said he was going to the washroom.  _Whatever, hopefully, he got the message the date was over._ He dumped the rest of the popcorn in the trash, appetite gone.

Jackson was going to be upset.  He ruined another date, and this time it was his fault. 

“Choi Youngjae!”  He was startled when he heard Jackson’s voice; he must’ve walked out when he saw him leave.

Youngjae mustered up his most apologetic face and started to explain.  “I’m sorry Jackson I can’t-“

“You’re _not_ going back in there.”  Jackson said firmly.

“I… wait what?”  Did Jackson just tell him not go back in?

“I tried to text you but then I realized you probably turned your phone off.  They kept yelling at me for using my phone anyways, then I tried to signal you somehow but you weren’t looking back.  I was about to leap down there and get you myself but then the security had the _audacity_ to kick me out!”  Jackson was talking more with his hands than his mouth.  He was fuming.  “How _dare_ he put his hands on you like that?”

Jackson was genuinely concerned about his safety.  “I’m alright, calm down.”

“I can’t believe this, just shows you can trust people just because they seem like nice people.”  Jackson sighed dramatically.  “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t blame yourself, there’s no way you could’ve known.”  Youngjae patted Jackson on the back.

“How could anyone make such sexual advances towards you?  You’re too cute and innocent.” 

“Didn’t you crawl on top of me only wearing a towel just yesterday?”  Youngjae asked blatantly.

That was the first time he caught Jackson completely off guard, flustering him.  “That was completely different; I wasn’t going to actually do anything! I was just teasing….  This guy seemed like he was really going for the gold…”

Youngjae laughed at his reaction, he was really unintimidating when he was caught off guard.  “I was just kidding.”  Youngjae laughed louder and Jackson scrunched up his face.

“I’m just glad you’re alright.”  He mumbled, Youngjae barely catching his words.  “I don’t want to waste my money, those tickets weren’t cheap.  Should we try to sneak into another movie?”  Youngjae wasn’t sure why he spoke so loudly just as a security guard was walking past them.  He gave them a dirty look. 

“I don’t think that’s the best idea,” Youngjae looked around the huge theatre until his eyes fell onto one of his favourite places.  “Want to go to the arcade?”

“I haven’t been to one of those in ages...” 

“What?  Really?!”  Youngjae was appalled someone didn’t go to the arcade often.  Without thinking, Youngjae grabbed Jackson by the hand and pulled him towards the mini arcade inside the theatre.  “You’re missing out!”

As soon as they stepped inside Youngjae felt at home.  He had spent a lot of time there as a kid, and even as an adult.

“Don’t worry I’ll buy-“

“No worries, I’ve got us covered.”  Youngjae pulled out his new hi-tech card, already loaded with credits to play arcade games.  “Nobody uses coins anymore; it’s all automated among the arcades.  I have a ton of credits already.”

Jackson looked at him in disbelief. “Things have changed so much…” 

Youngjae grinned as if he were the true master of arcades.  “What do you want to play first?  I bet I’ll be able to get enough tickets to get any prize you want.”

* * *

 

After countless retro games, a couple of shooting ones, laser tag, and even a claw machine Jackson spotted something that he was convinced he would be good at since his record so far was pretty bad.  Youngjae had beaten him at everything (except the claw machine, which they both decided was rigged).

“Dance Dance Revolution?  Are you sure you want to play that?”  Youngjae wasn’t bad at DDR, he was certainly better than any newcomer, but it wasn’t his forte.

“Yes!  This game is about dancing, right?  Not to brag but, I’m actually a pretty decent dancer.”  Youngjae had assumed correctly, Jackson has no idea what the game was about.

“It’s not about dancing really,” They walked towards it and Youngjae told him to step onto one of the machines.  “See the arrows on the ground?  You just need to use your feet to step on the arrows when they appear on the screen in front of you.”

“That seems easy enough, I have powerful legs you know.”  Jackson said, emphasizing his fact my sticking a leg out and running his hand across it.

Youngjae snorted.  “Alright, I’ll set it to beginner and you can try it out.”

The music started and Jackson was already swaying his body to the cheesy beat.  The arrows started scrolling up the screen at a slow pace and Jackson picked it up quickly, hitting them in time with the beat.  ‘Good!’ Good!’ ‘Excellent!’  “Did you hear that Youngjae?!  The game said I was _excellent_.”

Youngjae was just grinning at how excited he was over doing well in _beginner_ mode.  He decided to humour him.  “Yes!  You’re doing great!”

“Ahh!  What do I do if two arrows are coming at the same time!?”  Jackson was startled by the sudden hike in difficulty.

“Just jump!  You can hit them both at the same time!”  It finally clicked in Jackson’s mind that he could do that and he was able to successfully complete the move.

“AHH, DID YOU SEE THAT?”  Jackson was smiling so hard he looked like he was going to break his jaw, overjoyed at his accomplishment, looking back making sure Youngjae saw.

Youngjae was leaning against the bar laughing now, unable to answer to he just enthusiastically threw him two thumbs up.

When the music finally winded down and his score came up Jackson sauntered off the machine feeling proud of himself.  “That’s a good score, right?  Think you can beat it?” 

Youngjae stepped on the machine, knowing very well he could beat it.  “I don’t know. It’s a pretty good score.”

Jackson was messing around with the controls, picking a new song.  “Alright!  Only since you’re better than me I guess I’ll choose a harder mode.”  Jackson picked the song, chose expert mode, and hit start before Youngjae could tell him anything.

“Wait!! Don’t choose expert!”  It was too late, the huge clustered of overlapping arrows were already appearing on the screen.  He could hardly see which direction they were pointing since there were so many.  “I’m not _that_ good!”

“Uh oh, guess it’s too late.  Good luck Youngjae!” 

Youngjae tried to move his feet and jump according but he failed pretty quickly, giving up and falling to his knees.  Jackson was laughing so hard behind him his knees buckled as well. “I can’t feel my legs…”

“Sorry!  I didn’t realize expert was that insane!”  Jackson said through his hyena laughter.  “I can’t believe you even tried, that was so funny!”  He was clutching his stomach, practically lying on the floor at this point.  “Oh gosh, I can’t breathe!”

Youngjae rolled onto the machine at some point, giving in and just laughing along with Jackson.  It was pretty funny.  “Whatever, I give up.  You win.”

“Yes!  You promised you’d buy me anything from the prize counter, right?”  Jackson had picked himself up off the floor and reached out a hand to help Youngjae up. 

“Anything you want.”  Youngjae confirmed.  It didn’t matter; they had more than enough tickets for anything there.

“I think I saw a squirtle plush up there, I’ve always wanted one.”  Jackson linked arms with him as they walked to the counter and Youngjae didn’t mind the closeness.

“Squirtle?  Why Squirtle?”

“I look like a Squirtle, right?”  Jackson put on his cutest smile to demonstrate.

“I see it.” This was the first time he looked so closely at his face.  Despite being covered in muscles from head to toe he was really adorable as well.  “People have told me I resemble on otter, I don’t know if they’re joking or-“

“Wait, smile like you do, when your eyes close,” Jackson instructed and Youngjae wasn’t sure what he meant, so he smiled normally.  “I SEE IT!  It’s totally like an otter!!” 

“Really?”

Jackson pulled out his phone to look up photos of otters but when he caught a glimpse of the time he gasped.  “We’ve been here for five hours?!”

Youngjae knew he often lost track of time in arcades, but five hours was a long time.  “Ah, it must already be dark outside.”

“Shoot, I need to go home!”  Jackson pulled his arm free.  “You like arcades like this right?  I’ll find someone else for you to go on a date with, maybe someone who’s into arcades…”

“I do come here now and then, but I prefer online gaming and going to PC cafés more.”

“Oh!  Online gaming!!  I have a friend who you might be interested in!”  Jackson checked his phone one more time put it back in his pocket for good.  “Ok, I’m leaving for real now sorry!  I’ll text you later!”  Jackson bolted out the door mumbling something about curfew.

It was so sudden and Youngjae felt like he was alone again.  It felt so quiet even among all the loud children and gaming machines when Jackson wasn’t there.  It wasn’t like he was gone for good, but Youngjae had no plans to stay there by himself.  He had to admit, he never had as much fun at an arcade before.

He walked up to the prize counter alone and requested the Squirtle plush.

_I’ll just give this to him the next time I see him._


	4. Chapter 4

“Good morning Mark,” Youngjae said in the middle of making eggs when he saw his roommate for what felt like the first time in a week.  “…morning Jinyoung.”  Youngjae added as Jinyoung trailed out of Mark’s room behind him seconds later.

Mark worked a lot; he was usually gone before Youngjae was up and came back after Youngjae was asleep.  That was part of the reason Jinyoung started practically living there, since he usually only ever got to see him late into the night and by that time he didn’t even bother going home.

He only agreed to live with Mark, adding Jinyoung to the mix had made his life a bit more intolerable.  Of course, Jinyoung loved Youngjae (sometimes a bit too much) but when all three of them together they unintentionally made him feel like a permanent third wheel.  It seemed to get worse every day.

“Good morning Youngjae!”  Jinyoung said as soon as he saw him, sneaking up behind him and hugging him from the back.  “I hope you made some eggs for me too.”

“I’m only making eggs for people who actually live here.” Youngjae replied nonchalantly and Jinyoung looked at him offended.

Mark just giggled at his boyfriend’s fake distress. “Don’t worry Jinyoungie, if you want eggs I’ll make you some.”

“Really?  You’d do that for little ole me?”  Jinyoung said as he walked over and put his arms around Mark, pressing their noses together.

“Of course, anything for my Jinyoungie.”  They both smiled goofily at each other before Mark started pressing puppy kisses all over Jinyoung’s face.

Youngjae suddenly wasn’t hungry anymore.

If there was a thing such as pre-newlywed newlywed mode Mark and Jinyoung were in that phase.  Youngjae wasn’t sure how much longer he could take them being absolutely gross around each other while he was in the room.

Youngjae cleared his throat extra loudly, hoping they would remember he was in the room and kindly detach themselves from each other before he actually threw up.  It seemed to do the trick.

Jinyoung was back at Youngjae’s side while Mark started getting more eggs.  “Hey Mark, did you know that Youngjae has a boyfriend now?”

“Ooh, a boyfriend?”  _Great_ , now he has to dodge two people coddling him.  “I didn’t know you were interested in anyone.”

“I don’t have a boyfriend; I’m just going on dates.”  Youngjae clarified.

“Huh, you’re not dating Jackson yet?”  Jinyoung asked, genuinely surprised.

“Who’s _Jackson_?”  Mark butted in, and Youngjae was dreading trying to explain the whole situation.

“He’s just a guy who’s helping set me up on dates…” Youngjae tried to leave it there but Jinyoung had to continue.

“He’s really hot and I’m pretty sure he has a thing for Youngjae.” 

“He doesn’t.”  Youngjae clarified.

“You sure about that?  He is helping you out for no reason, and he likes climbing on top of you-“

Youngjae clamped a hand over Jinyoung’s mouth but it was too late.

“Wow, Youngjae, didn’t think you had it in you.  Found a hot guy right under my nose…”  Mark was kidding but that didn’t stop Youngjae from being beyond embarrassed.

“We’re just…”  Youngjae didn’t want to say ‘friends’ were they friends?  He didn’t consider Jackson his friend, but it’s not like they were strangers.  “We’re not dating; in fact, he’s setting me up with someone else today.”

“So that’s why you actually showered this morning!”  Jinyoung teased.

Mark laughed along with Jinyoung and Youngjae shoveled eggs into his mouth at record speed just so he could leave. 

“This guy, he’s not a creep or anything?”  Mark asked Jinyoung directly; obviously a little worried about Youngjae suddenly going on dates.

“Jackson?  He’s harmless; I even have his phone number if you want it.”

“When did you get his phone number?!” 

“I need to keep track of this guy, he’s officially spending enough time with you for me to know who he is.  If anything happens to you I’m calling him.”  Even his own mother wasn’t this protective.

“Jinyoungie, your eggs are ready!”  Mark said, presenting a plate to Jinyoung.

“Wow!  My hero!”  Jinyoung said as he dramatically accepted them, giving Mark more cheek kisses as he did so. 

“Be careful, they’re hot!”  Mark warned.

“Don’t worry, I have a lot of experience dealing with hot things, considering I have the hottest boyfriend alive.”  Jinyoung teased.

“I’m afraid that can’t be true, you’ve already taken that role.”  Mark rebutted.

 Jinyoung laughed at that.  “Oh really, when am I the hottest?”

“Do you really want me to answer that?”  Mark said, lowering his tone and smirking at Jinyoung.

“Yes, and I need all the details.”  Jinyoung was licking his lips, awaiting an answer.

“Woah! Still here, in case your forgot!”  Youngjae almost yelled.

“Oh, did you need something Youngjae?”  Jinyoung asked, not caring that he was still standing next to them.

“I- Nevermind.  I’m going to cover my ears and leave, please only let this conversation continue when I’m out of earshot, for my sanity.”  Youngjae practically ran to his room and got ready for his date in record time so he could escape this gross atmosphere.

* * *

 

“So, you’re sure this guy is normal?”  Youngjae asked as they met up at a very familiar place for Youngjae- a PC gaming café.

“This guy is a very close friend of mine!  I didn’t think you two would be a match before, but I know he’s into gaming and you’re into gaming so why not?”  Jackson was obviously not familiar with internet cafes, looking around like he had no idea what was going on.  “Is this food free?”

“No.”  Youngjae was slightly amused at how lost he looked.  For once, he felt like the expert.  “Are you going to be spying on me again?”

“Don’t worry, you’ll forget I’m here.”  He said and he shoved Youngjae off to the door.  “I see him now!”

“Wait, the one with the platinum blond hair?!”  Youngjae was hoping he meant someone else.  “And the Gucci jacket?”

“Don’t say that he’ll get upset.  I’m sure it’s Yves St. Laurent.  Anyways, I’m off good luck!”  Jackson said as he scrambled to get out of sight.

“Hey!”  Youngjae went up to him and greeted him with a smile.

“I’m guessing you’re Youngjae.”  He smiled back, reaching out to shake his hand.  Youngjae nodded.  “I’m Bambam.”

“Bambam?”  Youngjae didn’t mean to sound rude, but it came out before he could stop himself.  Luckily, he only laughed.

“I’m Thai, Bambam is kind of a nickname, since my real name is too hard to say.  At least you’re sure to never forget it.”   Colour Youngjae impressed, this guy didn’t seem half bad.

“I like it, it’s… cute.”  Youngjae knew that was incredibly lame and he was honoured by the pity laugh he got.

They settled into their seats and Bambam started talking his ear off about gaming and things.  It turned out he wasn’t quite as hardcore as Youngjae, but he did spend a lot of time casual gaming at least.  “What games are you good at?”

“Oh, Maplestory, Sudden Attack-“

“Let’s play something we’re both new at so it’s fair, a good idea, right?”  Youngjae had been excited to show off his skills, so he was slightly disappointed, but he wouldn’t complain.  “Sounds like a plan.”

“Have you ever played League of Legends?”  Bambam asked and Youngjae said no, even though he wasn’t entirely clueless about how the game worked.

Youngjae flipped through character select after joining Bambam’s room, trying to pick out which one had the easiest learning curve. 

“I’ll play as this slime guy!  He looks cool!”  Bambam locked in and was ready to start, Youngjae finally decided on some sort of female crossbow user that had easy enough skills.  That’s when he saw one of the users in the room with the name ‘852gamer’ and almost facepalmed at how obvious Jackson was being.  Bambam hadn’t noticed so he decided to let it slide.

The game started and Youngjae and Bambam got the gist quickly, but they still weren’t that great, even playing against computer players. “You take the top lane, I guess I’ll go to the bottom.”

“Huh, what’s this guy doing?”  One of their teammates seemed to be running in circles on home base, another teammate yelling at him in the chat already.  “Does he even know how to move?  Did he read the instructions?”

Ah yes, _852gamer_ , Youngjae was positive that even if he did read the instructions he wouldn’t have understood them. 

The minions started going down the lane and Jackson finally seemed to have found his footing, trying to follow Youngjae’s tower but instead walking past him and into a turret, drawing first blood by killing himself.  “What is this guy doing?!  He’s going to lose the game for us!”

_Bambam1a: hey u!! do u kno how to play?????!_

_Ars333: …_

_tinMaster87: wtf are you doing 852_

Youngjae doubted Jackson even cared what was going on in the game.  He at least figured out how to use the chat box eventually.

_852gamer: ars!!! Look to the right!!_

Nothing was happening on the right side of the screen, so he had no idea what he was talking about.

_852gamer: Go in for the kill!_

Again, there was nothing in his sights.

_Ars333:  ??????_

Jackson seemed to have given up on typing at that point, the game was almost finished anyways.  They managed to carry the team to a victory despite one team member dying forty times.

“That was fun,” Bambam said as he looked around the room.  “Shouldn’t have taken so long though, if only our teammates were actually helpful.” 

“Yeah.”  Youngjae said and the atmosphere became awkward for some reason. 

“I’m going to be honest with you, I don’t think we’re meant to be more than friends.”  Youngjae had almost forgotten this was a date.

“Oh, wait, what?”

“You’re a fun gaming partner but there’s no spark!  I mean, you didn’t even look at me for the past hour.”  Bambam put a hand on his knee.  “I’m sorry, I think you’re a nice guy though.”

“That’s…. fine.”  Youngjae wasn’t even upset, he had to agree.  The match hadn’t even been that fun, Bambam wasn’t great at talking about the game with him.

“I hope you don’t mind if I leave, I have somewhere I need to be.”  Bambam said as he grabbed a cup ramen off the shelf and headed out, leaving Youngjae much less disappointed than he thought he would be.  His peace and quiet, of course, was shortly ruined by one Jackson Wang.

“What was that?! You didn’t even _try_ to flirt with him.”

“I was playing the game!”

“Didn’t you see my messages?!  I told you to look at him and go in for the kill!”  _Oh._ That whole time Jackson had been referring to real life.

“I thought you were talking about the game!”

“Why would I be talking about the game?! I know nothing about the game!”  They got so loud someone shushed them and they both bowed in apology and sat down.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think he was the right match for my anyways.”  Youngjae admitted.

“It’s fine, there’s still two more days left, I have faith.”  Jackson said to comfort him.

“You really were bad at the game though, I didn’t know anybody could be that bad.  Didn’t you ever game, even as a child?”

“Excuse me, I actually spent my childhood playing outside in the real world and not in a virtual world.”  Youngjae looked shocked and Jackson backed down.  “No offense, I’m sure a gaming childhood was fun too.”

“You looked like you never even used a computer before.”  Youngjae said, as payback for Jackson’s minor dig.

“The game’s stupid anyways, let me see it again!  I want a rematch, I’ll actually try this time!”  Jackson was already firing up the game again ready to play seriously.

“If you want… I could teach you.”

That’s how they ended up playing another game (this time with all CPU players so nobody would yell anymore) and Youngjae tried to explain to Jackson the controls but he was still having a hard time.  Youngjae had to hold himself back from laughing every time Jackson did something silly.

“Look!”  Jackson practically screamed at him.  “I killed a guy!!”  Youngjae had seen what happened, Jackson had managed to hit a guy and run back so far, he got killed by a turret, but the game still said he did it.  Jackson didn’t seem to notice that.  “Did you see that?!”

Jackson looked like he was waiting for praise, so Youngjae decided not to burst his bubble.  He knew Jackson well enough that he needed compliments. “Wow!  You did it!  I’m impressed.”

“I told you I could do it!  I’m amazing!”  Jackson was practically beaming and Youngjae was smiling too. 

The game ended in a victory and Youngjae had to hold Jackson back from standing on the table and announcing to the world that he won. 

“Hey Youngjae,” Jackson looked Youngjae in the eyes.  “Thank you.”

“For teaching you how to play?  It wasn’t a big deal.”

“No… never mind.”  Jackson closed the game and started to gather his things.  “This was fun, I’ll text you later to tell you when I find someone for you to see tomorrow.  I need to go now.” 

“You’re a fun gaming partner, we should do this again sometime.”

Jackson oozed tenderness when he smiled, and Youngjae didn’t realize how fuzzy it made him feel inside until that moment.  _Woah, that was a weird sensation._

“Youngjae, are you okay?  You look scared.”

Youngjae took a moment to recollect his thought from all the weird places they were going.  “I’m fine, see you tomorrow Jackson.” 

“Yeah… see you tomorrow.”

Youngjae decided to ignore the way his heart was beating erratically and blame it on the amount of caffeine he had consumed in the past three hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i got my new laptop!! dun dun dun. updates shall resume! thanks for your patience, thanks for reading and i hope you have/had a fantastic day!!


	5. Chapter 5

“You must be _Jackson_.” Youngjae screamed internally when Mark managed to get to the door before him.

“Yes, I’m Jackson… who are you?”  Jackson looked completely frazzled over the fact that someone who’s not Youngjae or Jinyoung was answering Youngjae’s door.

“Don’t look so worried,” Mark laughed at Jackson’s expression.  “It’s nothing weird, I’m Youngjae’s roommate.”

“Oh,” Mark let Jackson inside.  “Wait, that means your Jinyoung’s boyfriend?”

“You look shocked.”  Mark closed the door behind Jackson.

“It’s nothing… well,” Jackson gave Mark another once-over. “I didn’t think Jinyoung would be dating someone so… hot.”

“What is that supposed to mean?!”  Jinyoung’s voice startled Jackson so badly he tripped and fell onto the couch.

“Since when were you here?!”  Jinyoung sat on the couch in his pyjamas with his arms crossed.

“I’m always here!”  Jinyoung yelled back.

“What, you’re finally admitting to it?”  Youngjae added but Jinyoung selectively ignored him.

“Are you trying to say Mark is out of my league?!”  Jinyoung had the most unimpressed look on his face and Jackson was panicking.

“That’s totally not what I meant,” Jackson gave Youngjae a pleading look but Youngjae knew better than to mess with Jinyoung when he was irritated.  Jackson was on his own.  “I was just… amazed two people as gorgeous as you guys were able to find each other.  True beauty is hard to find these days, am I right?”

Jinyoung huffed and Jackson looked like he was praying God would make his death swift and painless.

The atmosphere was quickly squashed by Mark bursting out laughing in that ridiculous yet endearing high-pitched laugh of his.  “Jackson, you’re funny.”  Jinyoung looked betrayed for a moment until Mark walked over and flopped on top of him.  “Jinyoungie…”  He snuggled into his side and Jinyoung’s face softened.

“Hmm?”  Jinyoung let himself be cuddled, he couldn’t resist Mark’s charm.

“Didn’t you want to go out today?  I have work again tomorrow!  We should go shower and leave.”  Mark suggested as he pulled himself up. 

Jinyoung glared at Jackson one last time before letting him live to see another day.  “You’re right,” Jinyoung got up and headed for the bathroom.  “Are you coming?”  He asked when Mark stayed put.

“Just give me a minute!”  He said with a cute smile and Jinyoung just squeezed his cheek and went ahead without him.

“Thank you so much, you saved me!”  Jackson bowed at Mark’s feet.  Mark only laughed again.

“It’s fine,” Mark said, pulling him back up off his knees.  “Are you going out with Youngjae today?”

“Yeah, he has another date- “Mark didn’t let Jackson finish before he pulled him closer by the collar, staring directly into his eyes as he spoke in a scarily stern tone.

“Listen, if you ever harm Youngjae physically or emotionally I will make you regret ever being born, got that?”  Jackson looked like he was about to pee his pants he was so scared.

“Yes!”  Jackson squeaked and Mark let go of his shirt.

“Good, have fun on your date Youngjae!”  He casually switched backed to his cheerful tone.  “Jinyoungie, I’m coming!  Don’t use up all the hot water without me!”

“Is… I… what just happened?”  Jackson looked at Youngjae who seemed completely unfazed by Mark’s behaviour.

“Mark can be scary sometimes, one time he got so angry at me he punched the air conditioner in the car and broke it.”

“He got angry at you?! What…”  Jackson was still shocked by the sudden turn of events.  “Wait, so Jinyoung is scary, and Mark is scary…”

“They’re like a match made in heaven, right?”

Jackson winced.  “More like hell.”

* * *

 

“You’re a music major?”  Jackson was flopped on a couch watching Youngjae flip through songs on the karaoke machine in front of them.

“Yes, with a specialization in vocals.” 

“You want to be a singer?” 

“Hmm, I could start off as a singer,” Youngjae fiddled with the cord of the microphone he was holding.  “I want to be a music therapist actually, I think music is great for healing.”

“I’ve never even heard of that before!  I can understand how it would work though,” Jackson checked his phone as if he was waiting for someone to call him.  “Your date is supposed to arrive soon, I’ll just hide behind this couch.”

“Really?  You’re going to get caught, there’s no way you can stay hidden in this tiny room.”

“Wanna bet?”  Jackson challenged, sliding the couch out and ducking behind it.  “Oh, it’s actually kind of gross back here.  Can you make this date a short one?”

“You don’t have to do this you know, I can handle myself.” 

“No way!  I’m still traumatized be the theatre incident, this tiny room is dangerous.”  Jackson yelled back.

“Suit yourself,” Youngjae stood up and decided to start singing without his date for the night arriving.  “When is this guy supposed to be here?”

“Technically, he was supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago but I’m sure he’s just running late.” 

“Alright, whatever.” Youngjae started up a soft ballad gave a few short yells to warm up his voice.  Karaoke was his specialty.

 “Isn’t this song kind of sad?”  Jackson said as the music filled the room.  It was funny talking to Jackson while he was hidden behind the sofa.

“I like ballads.”  Youngjae was ready to put his vocals to the test.  He’d been slacking on his vocal exercises.

Youngjae started singing, the notes sliding off his tongue with relative ease.  He wasn’t upset with the results but he still was never satisfied with his voice either.  He needed more training.

He wasn’t even halfway through the song when Jackson popped his head from behind the sofa, staring at Youngjae sing.  Youngjae suddenly felt pressured, but he carried on as if nobody were watching.

He finished the song with a drawn-out note, his voice booming through the small room.  Jackson suddenly climbed back over the sofa and started applauding.  “ _Wow_ , your voice is amazing!”

“I still need more training.”  Youngjae flushed.  He wasn’t used to such genuine comments.

“Really?  You already sound so good, what more do you need to learn?” 

Youngjae was touched Jackson thought so highly of him.  “Thank you.”

Jackson pulled out his phone and stared at the screen again.  “Is it safe to say your date’s so late he’s not going to show up?”

“I’ve been stood up?”  Youngjae frowned and Jackson tried to back pedal.

“That doesn’t mean they didn’t want to see you, maybe something came up, or they had cold feet?  It’s my fault, I haven’t been that great at this whole matching thing recently…”

“It’s fine, honestly you don’t have to do this for me anymore.  My event is the day after tomorrow and I’m sure I could get Mark or Jinyoung to go with me- “

“No!”  Jackson grabbed Youngjae’s arm but then immediately backed down.  “I mean, that would be awkward.  There’s still one more day, there’s still hope.”

“Honestly, I don’t mind.  Dating never comes naturally to me.  I’m still not sure what exactly I’m looking for, and I don’t think I’ll be able to figure that out in less than a day.  I don’t want to trouble you any more than I already have.”

“Youngjae,” Jackson grabbed him by the shoulders.  “I told you I’m doing this for your sake, you don’t need to worry.”

“I still don’t know why you care so much.”

“I don’t know why I care so much either…”  Jackson spoke more to himself than to Youngjae. 

“Jackson…”

“Hmm?”  Youngjae hated how low the mood had dropped.

“I haven’t said this yet but thank you for everything.  I really do appreciate you and everything you’ve done.”

Jackson smiled.  “You don’t need to thank me, I haven’t helped you at all.”

“Of course, you’ve helped me.  I feel a lot more confident about dating because of you.  This week has a been a lot of fun too.”  Youngjae assured Jackson.

“I had a lot of fun too,” Jackson pulled Youngjae in for a hug before Youngjae could process what was going on.  “I think you’ve taught me some things as well.”

Youngjae flushed at the sudden close contact.  He could feel Jackson’s biceps and muscled chest against him.  His stomach was in knots and he couldn’t say anything until Jackson pulled back away.

“Are you okay?  You’re sweating.” 

“What?  I’m fine.”  Youngjae didn’t know why he suddenly felt butterflies in his stomach.

“Alright,” Jackson didn’t seem convinced but he turned his attention away anyways.  “Since we’re here shouldn’t we sing some more songs?  It seems like a waste if we don’t.”

Jackson was flipping through tracks before Youngjae answered.  “You sing?”

“Yes, I sing!  I mean, not as well as you but, I can’t compare myself to the master.” 

“I’m not the _master_.”

Jackson turned on a fast-paced track, the kind you would hear in a club.  “Youngjae, join me!”

This was ridiculous, but could he expect anything less from Jackson at this point?  He was a little wild and Youngjae admittedly loved it. “Alright!”

Jackson rapped into the microphone, executing dance moves perfectly and Youngjae half laughed and half tried to follow along.

Jackson was belting the lyrics into the microphone, not caring if he sounded good or not.  Passion was key and Youngjae was about to keel over he was laughing so hard.  His dance moves were too on point from it to be his first time doing this.  Youngjae joined in yelling the entire chorus with him, it was a popular song.

When they finally calmed down from that song they went with something slower since they were both sweating.  Jackson showed off his vocals and Youngjae happily complimented him and cheered him on.

“ _Do you know how pretty you are in my eyes?_ ” Jackson rapped while staring straight at Youngjae. “ _I want you!  Just as you are, you’re the only one._ ” He pointed straight at Youngjae.

Youngjae must’ve looked really embarrassed because Jackson had to stop rapping and laugh at his expression.

“You’re too cute.”  Youngjae didn’t know why he was getting so worked up over song lyrics being sung to him _as a joke_.

“Shut up.”  Youngjae spoke boldly.  They progressed their relationship quickly. Usually, he wouldn’t be so blunt until at least three months of friendship. 

Jackson laughed at him even harder. Jackson started to flip through songs again for another cheerful one to brighten Youngjae mood again, handing him the mic and letting him lead.

After a few more songs Youngjae was exhausted.  Keeping up with Jackson’s excessive dancing was too much for him, despite how much fun he was having.  Jackson still looked like he wanted to keep going but Youngjae lying down on the sofa seemed to get the message across that he was done for the night.

“You know?  I think for tomorrow’s date- “Jackson started but was interrupted by his phone vibrating and beeping in his pocket.  Youngjae glanced at the screen as Jackson checked it.

“Someone responded to my profile?”  Youngjae read. 

Jackson clicked open the notification and opened the guy’s profile and message and Youngjae sat up immediately.  “Yeah- “

“Oh my God, he’s really attractive.  Are you sure he responded to my profile?”  The man had his hair pushed up and at least five piercings. 

“Let’s see, Korean, likes films, majors in music…”  Jackson read out his profile.

“He’s a music major!  Like me!”  Youngjae excitedly clicked on the message icon.  “What did he say to you?”

_Def:  Hi, I’m interested in a date.  I’m good with meeting tomorrow, I know a good restaurant.  It’s expensive but you don’t need to worry, I’ll pay.  I’m very interested, please reply soon._

Youngjae was practically glowing.  “Attractive, likes music, _and_ rich?  I think we’ve found the one Jackson.”

“What are those things above his eyes?  Are they moles?  They look stupid.”

“Huh?  I thought they were cute.”

Jackson stared at his phone with malice in his eyes.  “Cute?  This guy looks like he picks up guys on his motorcycle to sleep with him and then asks them to leave in the middle of the night.”

“Are you okay?  Don’t you think it’s a good match?”

“I don’t know,” Jackson saw how excited Youngjae looked and gave in.  “I mean, if you want to, I’ll arrange it.  Just know that this one wasn’t Jackson-approved.”

“To be fair, none of your dates have gone that well so far.”  Youngjae was joking but Jackson still looked dejected.  “Don’t worry, even if it doesn’t work out at least I’ll get a free meal.”

Youngjae decided to smile at him until he couldn’t help but smile back.  Worked every time.  “I appreciate your positivity, I’m just worried.”

“You’ll be there, right?  You have nothing to worry about.  Who knows, he could really be _the one_.” 

“Yeah,” Jackson sighed softly.  “That’d be great.”

Youngjae didn’t notice Jackson’s smile faded for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks you for your comments and kudos and I hope you have/had a fantastic day! <3


	6. Chapter 6

“You look… good.”  Youngjae realized after the fact that going to a restaurant this fancy meant he had to dress up.  He was a strong believer in casual clothes, so searching for his one dress shirt and nice pants was a challenge.

“Thanks, it feels weird.”  He was sure Jackson would have something negative to say even though he styled himself to the best of his ability, but he just stared at him.  “Jackson?”

“Oh!  Sorry,” Jackson’s snapped back to reality.  “Your date is waiting inside outside, see he’s over there.”

Youngjae looked over to the restaurant entrance to see a man dressed in a suit and tie looking more handsome in real life than his profile picture.  “I can’t do this, he’s _too_ handsome.  Look at his intimidatingly broad shoulders…”

“Look and unintimidating tiny hands!  Didn’t notice that in the picture.”  Jackson said and Youngjae hit him.

“Shut up, are you coming with me today?”

“Of course, I am, even though buying a meal from this place is going to burn a hole in my already empty pockets.  Any chance you can ask him to pay for me as well?”

“No way.”  Youngjae knew Jackson was kidding, but his voice came out harsher than he intended.  His nerves were getting the best of him.

“Hey, relax, you’re going to be fine.”  Jackson picked up on his anxiousness.  “You march in there like the confident man I know you are and you make him _swoon_.”

He loved how much Jackson was hyping him up, but it wasn’t helping.  In all honesty, it wasn’t the fact that he was going on a date that was making him sweat.  Something about this whole situation felt weird, and Youngjae wasn’t sure why.

Jackson gave him a once over and adjusted his clothes so they were all in place.  “You can do this.”

Youngjae nodded. “I can do this.”

Jackson nudged him off towards the restaurant.  There was something about Jackson’s smile that made Youngjae feel uneasy, but there was no turning back now.

“You must be Choi Youngjae, right?”  This Jaebum character was even more dazzling up close.  Everything from his dangling star earrings to his perfectly clear skin screamed this guy had no reason to be interested in him.

“Yes, Im Jaebum?”  Jaebum took his hand in his.

“Of course, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”  Youngjae thought he was going to do something cheesy like kissing his hand or something, but instead, Jaebum gently tugged him along into the restaurant.  Youngjae didn’t know if he would be able to survive that.

The grandeur of the restaurant really hit him when they were seated.  The servers treated them like they were royalty and nothing on the menu cost less than a small fortune.  He knew he wasn’t paying but he still tried to look for the cheapest thing to order out of modesty.

Things were awkwardly silent between them until they had both ordered and Jaebum finally started trying to make conversation.

“So, you’re a music major as well?” 

That was all it took for Youngjae to feel comfortable launching into a discussion on compositions and vocal techniques.  Their conversation flowed so naturally Youngjae almost forgot he was on a date.

Jaebum held his hand as they spoke, staring affectionately into Youngjae’s eyes.  The adoration was evident.  Youngjae’s heart was fluttering.  Youngjae felt his phone vibrating nonstop in his pocket but he ignored it.  He was floating on a cloud. This was _it._

This was finally the date of his dreams.

Youngjae had barely dug into his meal when he felt someone grab him by the arm and pulling him up.  The sudden jolt scared him as he had no idea what was going on.  He was even more shocked when he saw Jackson was the one forcing him up.

“What are you doing?  Let go!”  Youngjae tried to get out of his grip, but there was no way he could overpower Jackson. 

“This isn’t right, he’s not-“

“I said let go!”  Youngjae yelled and Jackson was so shocked he did let him go.  “What are you doing?!”

“I’m saving you!”

“From what?”

“This date!  He’s not… you…”  Jackson looked down at Jaebum who was giving him a death glare.

“I’m actually having a good time, you don’t need to _save_ me from anything.” 

Jackson didn’t have an answer to that.  He eyes were dull and his face motionless.

“This is ridiculous,” Jaebum spoke to Jackson.  “I hope you don’t expect me to pay you after this.” 

“You’re right, it’s… fine.”  Jackson sounded the opposite of his normal self, his tone lifeless.  It made Youngjae uncomfortable to see him like that.  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.  I shouldn’t have I… sorry.  I’m so sorry.”  His voice cracked slightly before he walked right out of the restaurant.

People were looking at them and Jaebum’s glare was enough to calm the scene down.  “What was that all about?”

Youngjae wanted to give him an answer but he didn’t know.  Everything about this evening was perfect, yet he felt in his gut he was making a mistake.  The way Jackson looked at him broke his heart.

“You okay?”  Jaebum asked after Youngjae hadn’t answered.

“I need to make sure he’s okay,” Youngjae shouldn’t have yelled at him, there must’ve been a good reason for his actions.  “I’m sorry.”  Youngjae squeaked out before he stood up and ran outside after Jackson, hoping he could catch up.

Luckily, he didn’t have to go far.  He found Jackson crouched down on the sidewalk right outside the restaurant, his face in his hands.

Youngjae crouched down next to him, unsure of what to say.  Jackson must’ve sensed his presence.  “What are you doing out here?  Did I ruin your date?”  He asked coldly.

“I left myself, I wanted to make sure you’re okay.” 

“Get back in there, you don’t need to worry about me.”  Jackson slid over a bit to distance himself from Youngjae but Youngjae slid over so they were back together.

“Jackson, you’ve been acting weird all day, I’m not going back in there unless you tell me what’s wrong.”

Jackson let out a long-drawn sigh before he finally lifted his head up, his eyes puffy and his smile long gone.  “It’s some personal stuff, you wouldn’t care.”

“I care.”  Youngjae had grown close with Jackson over the span of one week.  Jackson was such an open person, he wore his heart on his sleeve and it was hard not to get attached.  When he wasn’t feeling himself Youngjae felt his own emotions take a dip.  “Please.”  Youngjae pleaded.

After another silence, Jackson spoke.  “It’s my mom back in Hong Kong… she’s not well.  She hasn’t been well for a very long time.  I got a call this morning she’s been moved to the hospital permanently.”  Jackson’s voice cracked again.

“What?  Shouldn’t you go back to see her?!” 

“That’s the thing, I can’t.  I was training to become a singer when she got sick, that’s why I left Hong Kong in the first place.  When her situation progressed to this state I couldn’t take it anymore, I had to help.  I wasn’t making any money being a trainee so I quit my agency to find a job.  Unfortunately, it’s hard than it looks for a foreigner to find a job here.  I had positions but they never lasted, eventually I started doing odd jobs to try and make money in any way possible…”

“That’s why you do the whole matchmaking thing?”

“It’s stupid, I’m honestly no good at it.  I need money, I can’t go back empty-handed.  That would be awful.”

Youngjae took a moment to digest everything Jackson had said.  “I think your mom would be happy to see you; money or no money.”

“I feel like I ruined everything by taking this chance.  If I didn’t have such wild dreams I would be back at home by her side, now I can barely afford a flight back let alone being able to help her out,” Jackson slapped himself across the face abruptly, trying to get back to his senses.  “Sorry I dumped this all on you, my emotions really reached their cap today and I lost it.”

“Nobody can be happy all the time,” Youngjae slid closer so their knees were touching.  “You shouldn’t regret chasing your dreams.  Your mom must’ve trusted you to let you come here.”

“That sounds exactly like what she would say.”  Jackson leaned over into Youngjae, resting his head on Youngjae’s shoulder.  “I’m sorry I ruined your date, all your dates actually.  I’m no good at this.”

“Why didn’t you ask me for money if you needed it so badly?”

“I dunno... you looked so cute and desperate it felt wrong.  I really did want to help you but…”    Jackson mumbled into his shoulder.  “You should go back to your date, you were having a good time, right?”

Youngjae felt his cheeks warm up.    Youngjae _was_ having an amazing time, and he should march right back into that restaurant if he knew what was good for him.  “Why did you want me to leave?”

Jackson’s face pressed against him harder, letting his weight fall on him.  Completely vulnerable.  “I don’t know.  I’m just… selfish.” Jackson didn’t move from his spot against Youngjae.  “Aren’t you going back in?”  Jackson's voice was only a whisper now.

“Actually, I was having an awful time, so boring,” Youngjae leaned his head down against Jackson’s. 

“I think I’ll stay right here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long I have no excuse. ;-; I'll try to pump out the last chapter asap. Thanks for your comments and kudos and I hope you have/had a fantastic day! <3


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! It's finally complete. <3

No snapbacks, no baggy pants, no tanks tops…”

“That’s almost my entire wardrobe, do you want me to go naked?”  Jackson laughed into the phone as he spoke.

After the last date, Jackson texted Youngjae insisting he go with him as his pretend boyfriend to meet his parents.  Jackson said it was his fault that he couldn’t find Youngjae a date.  Youngjae didn’t need to think about it for too long before he agreed.

“You want to go naked?  I’d like to see you try that.”  Youngjae joked.

“I’m standing outside your door right now, I’m naked.”

“You’re outside my door already?!  You said you were at home getting ready!  What was the point of giving you advice?  I swear if you’re wearing that stupid ‘Wang’ shirt…”  Youngjae opened his door to find Jackson in a button up shirt and slacks with nicely coiffed hair.  “Oh.”

“Surprised?”  Jackson invited himself in.  “I clean up well, don’t I?”

Neither of them had talked about what happened after the last date.  Jackson was acting like it never even happened.  “You look good, I guess.”

“Why can’t you ever give me a proper compliment?”  Jackson whined.  Youngjae laughed and smacked him on the chest.

“Ow!  Why did you hit me that time?!”

“Sorry, I just hit people when I laugh.”  Jackson pouted and sat down on Youngjae’s couch. 

“I can’t believe you’re making me drive you all the way to your own parent’s house.  Do you know how far away Mokpo is?”

“I told you we could take the train but _you_ refused.  This is your fate.” 

Jackson whined again but Youngjae was immune by this point. 

“Jackson!  I knew you would be the lucky guy to meet Youngjae’s parents.”  Jinyoung said as he walked into the room.  He eyed Jackson up and down.  “His parents are going to be so happy.”

“Ground rules, don’t say anything weird, don’t say you don’t have a real job, don’t mention-“

“I have an idea!”  Jinyoung chimed in.  “We can run a test case, I’ll pretend to be Youngjae’s mom.”  Jinyoung sat down next to Jackson on the couch.  “It’s so nice to meet you!”  He went to shake Jackson’s hand.

“Uh, nice to meet you too.”  Jackson tried to stifle a laugh as he played along.

“Youngjae, sweetheart!”  Jinyoung grabbed Youngjae and pulled him down onto his lap.  “It’s been sooo long since I’ve seen you!  Do you know how much your mom missed you?”  He squeezed Youngjae’s cheeks and Youngjae let out a pained groan.

Youngjae wriggled out of Jinyoung grasp with Jackson’s help. “My mom does not act like that!” 

“Sweetheart, I’m just trying to help!”  Jinyoung wouldn’t let go so Jackson had to pry him out of Jinyoung’s arms.

“That’s enough of that, Youngjae go get dressed or we’ll be late!”

* * *

 

The long drive to Mokpo passed by quickly with the help of blasting the radio the entire way there and following the GPS directions without any doubt.

“So, remember, act normal.  As soon as we step into the house we’re dating.”  Youngjae said as they walked up to his family home.

“Shouldn’t we have prepared a bit more?  How did we meet?  What are our favourite activities to do together? I don’t even know your favourite food!” 

“Relax, they won’t ask all of that.”

“What if they do?”

“We’ll make something up.  Just be nice, and don’t scare anyone.”

“I’m scary?!”

“Jackson!  Breathe!  You’re hyperventilating!”  Youngjae grabbed Jackson by the shoulders and shook him.  “Everything is going to be fine, okay?”  Youngjae was amused Jackson was freaking out more than he was.  “Just be yourself, toned down a few notches.”

Youngjae knocked on the door before Jackson had the time to freak out any longer.

“Youngjae!”  His mom greeted him with a big hug.  “You made it!”

Youngjae and his mom exchanged a few words, Youngjae gushing about how much he missed her and assuring him life was going fine and he was taking care of himself while Jackson fidgeted next to him.

“Oh, and you must be…”  Youngjae’s mom finally acknowledged Jackson.

“Jackson Wang, Youngjae’s… ah, um-“

“Boyfriend?”  Youngjae’s mom helped him finish.

“Yes, that.” Youngjae had never seen Jackson so flustered meeting someone new.

Youngjae’s mom eyed Jackson up and down before nodding in approval.  “You’re very handsome.” 

One way to get Jackson going was to feed his ego- he acted humble, but his face instantly lit up.  “No way, your son is the handsome one.”

“I am?”  Youngjae responded before thinking.

“Yes,” Jackson grabbed Youngjae’s hand.  “You’re the most handsome in my eyes.”

Youngjae’s mom smiled while Youngjae blushed.  Jackson looked much too sincere and Youngjae’s heart was racing.

“Come inside!  I’m sure everyone is excited to meet you!”  Youngjae’s mom said and she ushered them in to meet the rest of the family.

Youngjae was floored by how much his entire family loved Jackson.  He got comfortable quickly and made conversation with his parents and all his relatives, making them all laugh by telling the story of how they met (Jackson finessed a lie where they ran into each other at an arcade and Youngjae kept beating him at everything) and how they were very happy with each other.  Youngjae didn’t need to say anything other than laugh and agree every now and then.

“I was worried you would be alone forever, but you really hit the _jack_ pot.”  Youngjae’s sister commented with a laugh. 

Jackson had Youngjae’s nephew on his lap playing and talking with him, not paying attention to the conversation.

“I’m glad you had so much faith in me.”  Youngjae said back to his sister.

Youngjae’s sister leaned in closer to whisper in Youngjae’s ear.  “So… when’s the wedding?”

Youngjae spat out the water he was drinking.  “The _what?_!”

“Don’t act stupid, it’s pretty obvious you guys are head over heels for each other, and everyone in the family thinks he’s the son in law already, you guys must be planning to make this official pretty soon, right?”

Youngjae still had water dripping down his face as he tried to process what she was saying.  “No, no, no…”

“No?  What do you mean no?”

“I mean… not soon.  I wouldn’t put too much faith in it, honestly.”  Youngjae was trying not to panic.  He was worried this would be a disaster, but it turned out to be the complete opposite, things were going _too well._

“What are you talking about?  You are in love with him, right?”

“I… well…”  Youngjae stammered.

Youngjae’s sister let out a huge sigh.  “Typical Youngjae, can’t see the feelings that are right in front of your face, how long have you been dating again?  You can’t be this dense.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“You’ve been staring at him with those dopey lovesick eyes the entire night!  Dad even tried to call you over, but you were too busy prodding his thigh and laughing at everything he said you didn’t even hear him.  As your sister, I’m not going to let your silly commitment issues ruin this.”  Youngjae’s sister looked almost angry now.  Was what she said true?

Was it really that obvious that he liked Jackson?

“He fell asleep.”  Youngjae jumped when he heard Jackson's voice.

“Oh, looks like the party’s over.”  Youngjae's sister said as she took her sleeping son.  “We should be getting home.” 

“Babe, you okay?  You look like you just saw a ghost.”  Youngjae flinched when Jackson said _babe_.  He liked it way too much.

“I-I’m fine.”  He got up and Jackson put an arm around him.  “We should be heading home too, it’s a long drive back to Seoul.”  His skin felt warm under Jackson’s touch.  Why was it so warm?  He was sure he had done that a couple times that night already and he hadn’t paid it any notice.

“Alright, let’s go say goodbyes.”

The family all got together one last time, everyone greeting Jackson telling him they hoped they would see him again soon.

Youngjae’s sister called out to them before they left.  “Jackson!  Make sure you don’t let my brother get away, you guys are the perfect match, alright?”  Youngjae was ready to sink into the ground.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere anytime soon!”  Jackson replied with a smile and he took Youngjae by the hand. “It was nice meeting everyone, I’ll definitely see you again!”

Then they left, Youngjae’s hand slipping out of Jackson’s as soon as the door closed.  “Is everything okay?”  Jackson looked at him confused.

“It’s over, thank you very much… thank you… yeah.  We should get back to Seoul.”  Youngjae said before speed walking over to the car and sitting in the passenger seat.

Jackson got into the front seat but didn’t start driving.  “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Youngjae sighed.  “I don’t know what’s wrong.”

Jackson looked at him like he was expecting more, but Youngjae didn’t know what else to say.

“Just drive, I’m fine.”  Youngjae didn’t know why he suddenly felt so nervous.

They drove in almost silence, Jackson flipping the radio stations a bit.  The atmosphere was the opposite of the drive there and Youngjae knew he was the one causing this tension. 

He turned to look at Jackson finally, who peeked over at him as well.  “Your family is very nice.”

“Thanks, they all loved you, especially my mom.”

“Yeah, your mom was cool.”

Silence again.

“I don’t know how I could possibly thank you for doing all of this-“

“How many times do I have to tell you, it’s not big deal.  I wanted to do this for you.”  Jackson said sternly.

“I don’t understand…”  Youngjae whispered.

Jackson must not have heard him.  “Do you not want to talk to me anymore?  This whole deal is over now, once we get back to Seoul we can part ways.  We don’t need to see each other again.”

“No!”

“No?”

“Jackson I-“  Youngjae was interrupted by the car coming to a screeching halt, flinging the both of them forward against their seatbelts.  “Why did you stop so suddenly?!”  The road they were on was mostly deserted, so they didn’t hold up traffic.

“I didn’t stop, the hell?”  Jackson tried to start the car, but the engine only made funny noises.  “What.  The. Hell.”

“Did you run out of gas?”

“No way!  I had a quarter tank left, I swear.”  Jackson kept turning the key over and over like that would solve the problem. 

“Just stop, let’s call a mechanic.  I’m afraid you’ll ruin your car if you keep trying to force it.”

Jackson fell back against his seat, defeated.  “Fine.”

They sat there in silence for ten minutes, the mechanic nowhere in sight.

Youngjae was sure he was trying to say something before the car stopped but now his mind was muddled again.

“My mom called me last night.”  Jackson blurts out.

“Your mom?”  Youngjae recalls what Jackson had told him the day before.  “Is she…?”

“Her condition stabilized in the hospital, she should be fine as long as she doesn’t overwork herself.”

“That’s good news, right?”

“However, she was pretty angry when I told her I quit the company.”

“It’s your dream on the line, isn’t it?”  Youngjae looked at Jackson who was leaning against the car window.

“Sometimes it feels like I dreamt too big.  My parents told me over and over I was making a stupid decision, and the fact that all their warnings were right…”

“It’s not over yet.” 

“What?”

“You go back to the music company and you beg them to let you back in.  If this is what you really want you shouldn’t let this stop you for good.”

“There’s no way-“

“I’ll go with you.  I’ll help, I’ll do something I…”  Youngjae was getting so pumped up Jackson put a hand on his knee to get him to calm down.

“You’d do that for me?  I thought our agreement was over, you don’t need to keep seeing me.”

“Jackson, I can’t even imagine seeing you anymore so please stop saying that.  Please.”  Youngjae’s emotions were finally pouring out, he couldn’t hold them back any longer.  “I know this whole thing was fake but what I’ve been feeling for you has been real and I took way too long to realize that, and I know it’s so silly for me to feel like this because you’re you and I’m me and I really shouldn’t- mphfff.”  Jackson put a hand on Youngjae’s mouth to shut him up.

“So, you do like me.”  Jackson smiled.

“Don’t laugh at me.  I didn’t mean to-“

“Youngjae, I’m not laughing at you, I’m laughing at the circumstances.  Your sister was right, you really are dense.”

“My sister told you what?!”

“Youngjae, do you really think I would’ve given up so much of my time to hang out with you this week and then visit your family if I didn’t like you at all?  I like you, a lot, so much more than you could ever imagine.”

“Me?  Are you sure?”

“Looks like we still need to work on that self-confidence, “Jackson leaned towards Youngjae, putting a hand on his cheek and staring into his eyes as he spoke.  “I’ve liked you since the day I met you, but you didn’t say anything as I continued to set you up on dates with other people, I thought you weren’t interested.”

“Jackson,” Youngjae whispered.

“Mhmm?”

“I really like you.”

“I really like you too.”  Youngjae couldn’t help but smile, he was so happy.

“You really like me.”  Youngjae repeated.

“I really like you.” Jackson’s face slowly got closer to his.

“Jackson Wang, you really like me.”

This time, Jackson replied with his lips.  Kissing him deeply and wholeheartedly.   “Choi Youngjae, I really like you.”  He whispered against Youngjae’s lips before pulling back into a searing kiss.

Youngjae wasn’t sure how long they were kissing until they were interrupted by tapping on their car window.

“Um, don’t mean to bother you but, did somebody call for a mechanic?”

Youngjae had never been this embarrassed in his entire life.

* * *

 

“You’re moving out?”  Youngjae asked Mark who had begun sorting his stuff out and putting them in boxes.

“Jinyoungie wanted to move in together… officially.”

“Congrats.” 

“Shouldn’t you be the one celebrating?  I don’t think anyone was more annoyed by us than you.”

“You were self-aware?!”

Mark giggled, deciding not to answer that question.

“Should I start putting up ads for a new roommate?”

“I thought you have a hot boyfriend now who’d be happy to take my place.”  Mark raised an eyebrow at him.  Both Mark and Jinyoung were all over the fact that he not only wasn’t single anymore, but he was dating _Jackson Wang_.

“We’ve only been dating a month; wouldn’t it be weird to ask him to move in with me?”

“It’s up to you I guess, but I don’t think you have to worry about him turning you down.”

“Jackson will be here soon, I guess I can ask him then-‘

“Ask me what?”  Jackson’s voice made Youngjae jump.

“How did you get in here!?”

“I let him in.”  Jinyoung strolled into the room, chomping down on a granola bar.

“What are you even doing here and- is that _my_ granola bar?!”

“No.”  Jinyoung stuffed the rest of the bar into his mouth and shoved the wrapper into his pocket.

Youngjae sighed. 

“I’ll buy you another box of granola bars, babe.”  Jackson said as he pulled Youngjae in for a hug.

“Could you get any more ideal?”  Youngjae said, smiling into Jackson’s shoulder.

Youngjae could hear the _click click click_ of Jinyoung’s phone going off and turned to him with another annoyed look.  “What?  I need these memories for the family photo album.”

Jackson gave Jinyoung’s camera a peace sign and laughed.  “What’s with all these boxes?”

“Mark and I finally found a place for the two of us.”  Jinyoung proudly told Jackson.

“Really… so Youngjae, are you looking for a new roommate?  It can’t be just anyone!  They have to be in a relationship or something, nope can’t have anyone moving in, they could be secret serial killers- in fact, maybe let me choose-”

“Jackson, relax,” Youngjae could make Jackson stop talking with one word.  “I wasn’t thinking about getting a new roommate.”

“You can’t afford to live here by yourself… can you?”  Jackson looked perplexed.

“Jackson… I was going to ask you if you wanted to be my new roommate.”  Youngjae said quickly; like he was ripping off a band-aid.

“Youngjae…”  Jackson looked happy at first but then sighed.  “I can’t move in with you.”

“Oh!  That’s fine, it was a bit too early to ask!  There’s no pressure, really it was Mark’s idea-“

“No, no!  I’d love to move in with you, but I actually can’t.”

It was Youngjae’s turn to look confused. 

“You see, I ended up getting accepted into the music company again, so I have to move back into the trainee dorms…”  Youngjae didn’t let Jackson finished before he pulled him in for another hug.

“That’s amazing!”  Youngjae pulled away and stared into Jackson’s eyes.  “Seriously, I knew you could do it.  I’m so proud of you!”

“The next round of auditions is soon, you should try out!  I know you have a killer pair of vocals on you.”  Jackson teased.

“Real funny, me, an idol?”  Youngjae laughed. 

“Hey! No laughing allowed!  You’d make a fabulous idol, except all those girls fawning over you… maybe you shouldn’t.” 

“Shouldn’t matter, I’ll always have you in my heart.”  Youngjae almost immediately regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth.  _So cheesy, when did I become this?_

“Nooo, ahh my heart!  Sooo cute!”  Jackson clutched his chest, keeling over.  He could hear Mark and Jinyoung trying to hold in their laughter.

“Should we leave?”  Jinyoung said between giggles. 

“It’s fine!  I was picking up Youngjae for a date anyway.”  Jackson took Youngjae’s hand.  “I’ve been polishing up my skills since we last went to the arcade, I think it’s due time for a DDR rematch.”   

“If that’s the case, I’m not going easy on you anymore!”

“Y-you were going easy on me?”

Youngjae must’ve been lost in how cute his boyfriend looked with his pouty face , Youngjae leaned and shamelessly kissing his frown away.  “I love you.”

_Click click._

Jackson smiled, giving him another quick peck on the lips.  “I love you too.”

Youngjae pulled Jackson along, not even caring about how Jinyoung was probably going to post the photos all over social media in a few minutes with _proud mom_ hashtags.


End file.
